Statement by Ghana Cocoa Board on the occasion of the commemoration of

The Board of Directors and Management of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) is pleased to join the rest of the global community in commemorating this year’s World Day against Child Labour.

COCOBOD believes that Child Labour, in whatever form, is an indictment on society and must not be condoned. Such management views this year’s theme for the commemoration “Social Justice For All: End Child Labour!” as apt.

In bringing the celebration home, Ghana Cocoa Board and its partners have decided to observe the day by adopting a specific theme that addresses some of the major local challenges confronting the Ghanaian cocoa industry; “Children Deserve to be in the Classroom, not the Farm.

Let’s eliminate Child Labour”.

The theme reflects the premium COCOBOD places on education in shaping a brighter future for children. We firmly believe that every child deserves the opportunity to thrive in a safe and nurturing learning environment.

COCOBOD has over the years, collaborated with other state institutions such as the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations to work towards attaining a child labour-free cocoa industry in Ghana.

For example, COCOBOD’s Child Labour Unit at its Head Office oversees the implementation of anti-child labor protocols and ensures that cocoa farmers comply with child labor laws and policies.

As part of the commitment to the provision of basic education for children in cocoa-growing communities, the Board of Directors of COCOBOD, after broad consultations, has approved the reallocation of its SHS scholarship fund for the construction of basic schools in cocoa-growing communities, following the government’s implementation of the free SHS programme.

Other interventions include mainstreaming child labor education and sensitization into extension work of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED), the Environmental and Social Sustainability Project (ESSP) that included an anti-child labor component, the ongoing process to synchronize standards of Child Labour based on value system through the African Regional Standards (ARSO) and development of a Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation System linked to the Cocoa Management System (CMS) in order to carry out a risk assessment on child labor in the various cocoa communities.

In conclusion, we wish to take this opportunity to reiterate our commitment to continuously work with stakeholders to address all issues relating to child labor in Ghana’s cocoa sector. However, it is crucial to call for circumspection in our deliberations to avoid confusing child work with exploitative child labor.

We appeal to farmers, the media, and civil society organizations to continue to support us on this worthy course.

Above all, it is important to note that our children deserve to be in the classroom and not the farm.

ISSUED BY:

COCOBOD MANAGEMENT

For more information, please contact the Public Affairs Department, Ghana Cocoa Board Office Direct Line: (0302) 66-17-66

E-mail: public_affairs@cocobod.gh